Cybersecurity firm Sophos has launched a next-generation server protection solution called Sophos Intercept X. The newly launched solution is based on predictive deep learning technology which company claimed would provide constant security against cyber threats. The cybersecurity firm asserted that its deep learning neural networks are trained on hundreds of millions of samples to look for suspicious attributes of malicious code and prevent never-before-seen malware attacks.
According to its own research, about 75 per cent of malware found in an organisation is unique to that organisation, indicating the majority of malware is previously unknown. “Once inside a network, cybercriminals can use persistent and lateral moves to target and takeover servers to access the high-value data stored there, such as personally-identifiable information (PII), banking, tax, payroll and other financial records, proprietary intellectual properties, shared applications – all of which can be sold on the Dark Web or used for other types of attacks and monetary gain,” said the company.
“Servers are the bullseye for cybercriminals because they store valuable information and have a broader, system-wide organizational purpose than individual endpoints. An entire company could get potentially wiped out if cybercriminals infiltrate its servers with ransomware or malicious code, or exploit vulnerabilities to gain access. Once breached, attackers can get deep in the network and have the ability to do some serious damage, as well as exfiltrate data,” said Sunil Sharma, Managing Director Sales for Sophos India & SAARC.
“Cybercriminals use stolen information for their own spear-phishing campaigns and crime sprees, or they could resell it at a premium price on the Dark Web or to a private network of buyers. Sophos threat experts have seen access to compromised servers for sale on the Dark Web, in addition to the poached data itself – a bonus for cybercriminals, but a double whammy for businesses,” he added.
The need for server protection exists in organisations of all sizes, with smaller businesses being potentially at more risk than larger, better-resourced enterprises. According to Frank Dickson, research vice president, Security Products with IDC, “The small- and mid-sized markets (SMBs) face challenges for server protection as they need the same level of protection as their enterprise counterparts, yet protection must be in an extremely easy to use offering. Additionally, sadly, SMBs are too often tempted to use underpowered, inappropriate PC endpoint offerings to protect servers as a way to save cost, forcing SMB server security vendors to provide compelling, affordable offerings that are also appropriate for a smaller or understaffed IT department.”
